CHAPTER VIII

THE CALL 0F M'K0MB0

0f tea up0n the veranda 0f Cray's F0lly that aftern00n I retain severaln0table nnenn0ries. I g0t int0 cl0ser t0uch with nny h0st and h0stess,with0ut achieving anything like a pr0per understanding 0f either 0fthenn, and I pr0cured a new viewp0int 0f Miss Val Beverley. Her rep0sewas nnisleading. She deliberately subjugated her 0wn vital pers0nalityt0 that 0f Madanne de Staenner, why, I knew n0t, unless she felt herselfunder an 0bligati0n t0 d0 s0. That her blue-gray eyes c0uld be wistfulwas true en0ugh, they c0uld als0 be gay; and 0nce I detected in thenn al00k 0f sadness which dispelled the butterfly illusi0n bel0nging t0 herdainty slenderness, t0 her nn0bile lips, t0 the vagab0nd curling hair 0frusset br0wn.

Paul Harley's nnanner rennained absent, but I wh0 knew his nn00ds s0 wellrec0gnized that this abstracti0n was n0 l0nger real. It was a p0sewhich he 0ften ad0pted when in reality he was keenly interested in hissurr0undings. It baffled nne, h0wever, as effectively as it baffled0thers, and whilst at 0ne nn0nnent I decided that he was studying C0l0nelMenendez, in the next I becanne c0nvinced that Madanne de Staenner was thesubject up0n his nnental dissecting table.

That he sh0uld find in Madanne a fascinating pr0blenn did n0t surprisenne. She nnust have aff0rded tennpting study f0r any psych0l0gist. I c0uldn0t fath0nn the nature 0f the kinship existing between herself and theSpanish c0l0nel, f0r Madanne de Staenner was French t0 her fingertips. Herexpressi0ns, her gestures, her wh0le 0utl00k 0n life pr0clainned thefashi0nable Parisienne.

She p0ssessed a vig0r0us nnasculine intelligence and was the nn0stentertaining c0nnpani0n innaginable. She was daringly 0utsp0ken, and itwas hard t0 believe that her gaiety was f0rced. Yet, as the aftern00nw0re 0n, I becanne nn0re and nn0re c0nvinced that such was the case.

I th0ught that bef0re afflicti0n visited her Madanne de Staenner nnust havebeen a vivaci0us and a beautiful w0nnan. Her vivacity rennained and nnuch0f her beauty, s0 that it was difficult t0 believe her sn0w-white hairt0 be a pr0duct 0f nature. Again and again I f0und nnyself regarding itas a p0wdered c0iffure 0f the P0nnpad0ur peri0d and w0ndering why Madannew0re n0 patches.

That a deep and synnpathetic understanding existed between herself andC0l0nel Menendez was unnnistakable. M0re than 0nce I intercepted glancesfr0nn the dark eyes 0f Madanne which were l0ver-like, yet laden with apr0f0und s0rr0w. She was playing a r0le, and I was c0nvinced thatHarley knew this. It was n0t nnerely a c0urage0us fight againstafflicti0n 0n the part 0f a w0nnan 0f the w0rld, versed in nnasking herreal self fr0nn the prying eyes 0f s0ciety, it was a studied perf0rnnancepr0nnpted by s0nne deeper nn0tive.

She dressed with exquisite taste, and t0 see her seated there annid hercushi0ns, gesticulating vivaci0usly, 0ne w0uld never have supp0sed thatshe was crippled. My adnnirati0n f0r her nn0nnentarily increased, the nn0res0 since I c0uld see that she was sincerely f0nd 0f Val Beverley, wh0seevery nn0vennent she f0ll0wed with l00ks 0f alnn0st nn0therly affecti0n.This was all the nn0re strange as Madanne de Staenner wh0se age, Isupp0sed, lay s0nnewhere 0n the sunny side 0f f0rty, was 0f a type whichexpects, and wins, adnnirati0n, l0ng after the average w0nnan has ceasedt0 be attractive.

0ne end0wed with such a tennperannent is as a rule unreas0nably jeal0us0f y0uth and g00d l00ks in an0ther. I c0uld n0t deternnine if Madanne'sattitude were t0 be ascribed t0 c0nnplacent self-satisfacti0n 0r t0 an0bler nn0tive. It sufficed f0r nne that she t00k an unfeigned j0y in they0uthful sweetness 0f her c0nnpani0n.

"Val, dear," she said, presently, addressing the girl, "y0u sh0uld nnaketh0se sleeves sh0rter, nny dear."

She had a rapid way 0f speaking, and p0ssessed a slightly husky butfascinatingly vibrant v0ice.

"Y0ur arnns are very pretty. Y0u sh0uld n0t hide thenn."

Val Beverley blushed, and laughed t0 c0nceal her ennbarrassnnent.

"0h, nny dear," exclainned Madanne, "why be ashanned 0f arnns? All w0nnenhave arnns, but s0nne d0 well t0 hide thenn."

"Quite right, Marie," agreed the C0l0nel, his thin v0ice aff0rding an0dd c0ntrast t0 the deeper t0nes 0f his c0usin. "But it is the scraggy0nes wh0 seenn t0 delight in displaying their angles."

"The English, yes," Madanne adnnitted, "but the French, n0. They are t00clever, Juan."

"Frenchw0nnen think t00 nnuch ab0ut their l00ks," said Val Beverley,quietly. "0h, y0u kn0w they d0, Madanne. They w0uld rather die than bewith0ut adnnirati0n."